Delco doles out $4.5 million for open space
MEDIA » Delaware County Council approved the allocation of $4.5 million for open space after receiving
38 requests from 26 communities in the inaugural distribution of these funds.
In October 2016, County Council convened the Delaware County Open Space Task Force to craft recommendations regarding preserving open space throughout the county. Last year, council approved designating $10 million to be used to distribute grants to municipalities to protect undeveloped land; to make improvements to existing parks and recreational facilities; to develop trails; and for professional services support. The intent was that this funding would allow municipalities to leverage it for other revenue sources.
“At the time, we said that we hoped that that $10 million would leverage $20 to
$30 million in additional funding in order to participate,” County Council Chairman John McBlain said. “By spending a little bit less than half of that fund right now, we’ve already reached that goal of
$20 million.”
Linda Hill, director of Delaware County’s Planning Department, shared the totality of this round of disbursements.
“These applications represent the preservation of over 102 acres of open space, 73 miles of trail development and more than
18 recreational improvements,” she said.
Eight of the projects, she said, were conservation projects that preserved more than 102 acres of land using $1.7 million of county money, allowing for the leverage of more than $6 million.
Three projects in the trail development portion - the Octoraro Trail construction in Concord, the Mint Trail construction in Middletown and the Radnor TAP trail construction - will use
$1.3 million of county funds to be matched by $3.7 million from other sources.
Eighteen projects will utilize $1.3 million to enhance current parks and recreational areas and
$162,000 was earmarked for professional planning services.
County Council Vice Chairman Colleen Morrone said some municipalities had identified the need for additional support with planning to bring projects forward.
Overall, she said, “It’s a great thing for the residents of Delaware County and municipalities to be able to protect and conserve and connect the open space that they have in their communities.”
County Councilman Kevin Madden agreed.
“This really is a tremendous, tremendous day for Delaware County,” he said. “And, it’s great that we’ve been able to push this forth as a bipartisan County Council.”
Madden noted the challenges the county faces as a largely established residential area.
“We were starting from a structural disadvantage because of how residential this area is,” he said. “It’s easier to preserve farmland than it is to preserve an area in the midst of a dense residential area. But, nevertheless, this is an important, important area for developing a community that is appealing for folks to live in and work in.”
County Councilman Brian Zidek voiced a concern about the potential of benzene in the form of recycled tires being used in the Catania Field improvements in Ridley Park, as the material has been linked to childhood leukemia. After discussion, council agreed to include a notation in the motion that benzene and tires could not be in this project as subject to the solicitor’s approval.
“More open space is better and anything we can collectively do to get more open space, I think, is a welcome development,” Zidek said.
The motion passed 4-0, with McBlain abstaining as he represents several of the towns in his role as solicitor.
“We were starting from a structural disadvantage because of how residential this area is. It’s easier to preserve farmland than it is to preserve an area in the midst of a dense residential area. But, nevertheless, this is an important, important area for developing a community that is appealing for folks to live in and work in.”
— Delaware County Councilman Kevin Madden